LIFTING DEVICE, PARTICULARLY FOR MOTOR VEHICLES
The object of the invention is a lifting device, particularly for motor vehicles, having a lifting unit and load-bearing functional elements, such as travel rails, stators, support arms, or the like. These load-bearing functional elements are made of extruded light metal hollow profiles having integrally formed reinforcements, whereby less expensive production as opposed to a conventional steel construction is achieved.
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The invention relates to a lifting device, particularly for motor vehicles, having at least a lifting unit and load-bearing functional elements, such as travel rails, support arms, stators, or the like.
Lifting devices for motor vehicles are known in different types and designs, for example, as column lifting platforms, as lifting plunger platforms, or as pantograph lifting platforms. All of these lifting platforms have at least a lifting unit provided with an electric, hydraulic or pneumatic drive, which lifts and lowers the load-bearing functional elements of the lifting platform in a controlled manner mostly with the vehicle supported thereon. The load-bearing functional elements include, for example, the horizontal running rails on which the vehicle is supported with its wheels, the swiveling telescopic support arms positioned below predetermined sites of the vehicle floor with their end-side support blocks, and also the spreader beams of pantograph lifting platforms, which are connected to each other in an articulated manner. Depending on the application, these functional elements formed as extended beams have different cross-sectional profiles. In order to be able to receive the up-coming loads safely and without deformation, the load-bearing functional elements consist of shaped steel structures. To manufacture them, plate-shaped blanks of rolled flat material are formed, for example, into hollow profile beams by longitudinal bending, which requires the use of complex machinery. As diagonal members and bolts are incorporated at regular intervals in order to reinforce the beams, the efforts of manufacture increase due to the finishing and welding-in of these reinforcement elements.
It is the object of the invention to facilitate the development, manufacture and assembly of the load-bearing functional elements of motor vehicle lifting platforms and to reduce the production costs of the respective lifting platform.
According to the invention, this object is achieved by the fact that the load-bearing functional elements of the motor vehicle lifting platform consist of extruded light metal profiles, in particular hollow profiles made of aluminium and its alloys, comprising integrally formed reinforcements.
The dimensioning and profile design of the inventive extruded hollow profiles is met such that the loads occurring during operation, when the motor vehicles supported thereon are lifted and lowered, can be received without bending deformations, even in consideration of the required safety factors. An essential advantage of the invention is the fact that the light metal hollow profiles according to the invention are acquired as prefabricated semi-finished products. The forming processes required for the previous steel structures and also the machinery needed therefor are no longer necessary. The results thereof are substantially lower manufacturing costs and simplified operating procedures. The strength and flexural rigidity required for the respective different functional elements is guaranteed by selecting suitable profile cross-sections and sufficient wall thicknesses. Particularly, this applies to the hollow profiles used as travel rails, which have a flat-rectangular cross-section with longitudinal cavities defined by fixed links. Providing these channel-like longitudinal cavities increases the flexural rigidity of the one-piece travel rail the upper contact surface of which should be roughened or provided with a non-slip lining. Apart from that, the longitudinal cavities of the hollow profiles may also serve to receive additional structural members. Suitably, each hollow profile has two laterally closed longitudinal cavities below the travel surface.
In underground lifting plunger platforms the travel rails are fastened with their plate-shaped middle part between the two longitudinal cavities on the upper end plates of underground lifting plungers and their guide pipes, respectively.
In four-column lifting platforms the travel rails are fastened with their end parts to transverse beams formed as light metal hollow profiles and guided at the end-side on the columns by a motor in a movable fashion. Preferably, the transverse beams can be moved vertically on the columns by means of traction cords which are coupled via pulleys to a head of a piston rod of a pressurizing medium cylinder. In this case, it is suitable to arrange the pressurizing medium cylinder with its piston rod and the piston rod head inside a hollow profile of a guide rail.
In pantograph lifting platforms, not only the travel rails but also the pantograph beams may be formed as light metal profiles.
Further advantages and particular features of the invention can be taken from the following description of embodiments shown in the drawings, wherein:
The motor vehicle lifting platform shown in
The drive system of the column lifting platform illustrated in
The transverse beam 6, 7 illustrated in
The extruded light metal hollow profiles illustrated in
The invention is not limited to the embodiments as shown. For example, the extruded light metal hollow profiles used for the functional elements of various types of lifting platforms may also have other suitable cross-sectional configurations, if particular technical requirements have to be fulfilled. It is essential that the intended creation of a higher value be achieved by using extruded hollow profiles made of aluminium or Al alloys which are prefabricated as far as possible.
Claims
1. A lifting device, particularly for motor vehicles, having
- a lifting unit and
- load-bearing functional elements, such as travel rails, stators, support arms, or the like, which are made of extruded light metal hollow profiles having integrally formed reinforcements, wherein
- the hollow profiles forming the travel rails comprise closed longitudinal cavities,
- wherein
- each hollow profile has two lateral channel-like longitudinal cavities, connected to each other by a plate-shaped fastener, thereby forming a continuous travel surface.
2. The lifting device according to claim 1,
- wherein
- the travel rails are fastened with their plate-shaped middle part to the upper ends of underground lifting plungers and their guide pipes, respectively.
3. The lifting device according to claim 1,
- wherein
- the travel rails are attached with their ends to transverse beams which are guided at the end-side on columns by a motor in a vertically movable fashion.
4. The lifting device according to claim 3,
- wherein
- the transverse beams can be vertically moved on the columns by means of traction cords coupled to the piston rod head of a pressurizing medium cylinder via pulleys.
5. The lifting device according to claim 4,
- wherein
- the pressurizing medium cylinder with the piston rod head and pulleys supported thereon is arranged axially parallel inside a hollow profile.
6. The lifting device according to claim 1, the drive unit for the lifting and lowering movements of the running rails consisting of light metal hollow profiles is a pantograph structure the load-bearing struts of which are light metal hollow profiles.
- wherein
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 18, 2007
Publication Date: Dec 31, 2009
Applicant: Maha Maschinenbau Haldenwang GmbH & Co. KG (Haldenwang)
Inventor: Winfried Schmitt (Bichl)
Application Number: 12/309,858
International Classification: B66F 7/28 (20060101); B66F 7/16 (20060101);